【摘 要】在小学英语单元板块教学中,通过几个活动板块的教学活动对相关单元的语言知识进行巩固和拓展,是当前小学英语单元整体教学的一项内容。针对当前小学英语活动板块教学相对独立的问题,教师可以创设主题情景和整合活动板块的教学活动,以此提升单元活动板块系列教学活动的质量。
【关键词】整体教学;活动板块;主题
现有的小学英语教材大多围绕某一主题编排单元,每个单元一般都由若干板块构成,除了以Story Time为核心的语篇板块和以Grammar Time为核心的语法板块之外,每个单元一般还包含一组活动类板块。这些活动类板块都以不同的形式对相关单元的主要学习内容进行强化、拓展、归纳和整理,如Sound Time一般侧重于对语音知识的学习和归纳,Culture Time侧重于对本单元主要学习内容的文化拓展,Cartoon Time则侧重于对学生初步英语阅读能力的培养。我们通常把这些板块称之为活动板块,这些活动板块各有侧重,它们之间很少有内在的联系。
尽管很多教师已关注到了这些活动板块教学活动之间的链接,但简单的链接仍然无法从本质上使这些活动板块的学习真正形成一个整体,因此相对琐碎的活动板块的教学活动很难给学生留下比较深刻的印象,也很难进一步深化主题。如何整合单元内各活动板块的教学活动是很多教师面临的困惑。教师可以为活动板块寻找一个主题,并根据主题创设一个情景,将这些零碎的活动板块的教学活动整合成一个整体,从而成为本单元前两个课时教学活动的延伸与补充。
本文将以译林版《英语》五年级下册 Unit 8 Birthdays中Sound Time、Culture Time、Cartoon Time等几个活动板块的教学活动为例,阐述笔者对如何通过创设主题情景整合活动板块教学活动的思考。
一、创设主题情景,活化语音板块的教学活动
Unit 8 Birthdays在Sound Time板块中以一首附有插图的小诗呈现了字母组合th的发音/ð/,旨在引导学生在吟诵小诗的过程中感悟字母组合th的发音/ð/,内容如图1所示。
图1
小诗的内容和插图与本单元话题Birthdays并没有直接的关系,因此以小诗作为语音学习主要载体的活动板块教学很难成为本单元系列教学活动的一个组成部分。笔者在教学中尝试根据单元话题Birthdays创设了一个与之相关的主题情景Mary's Birthday,使这一语音板块成为本单元教学活动的一个组成部分,并成为同一课时其它两个活动板块教学活动的基础。
教学过程如下:
1. 听小诗,理解小诗大意。
T: Today is the twentieth of May. It's my friend's birthday. She is a girl. Her name is Mary. Please look at the picture. Look! The girl in the picture is Mary. Let's say “Happy birthday” to Mary.
Ss: Happy birthday, Mary!
T: Do you want to know something about her family? OK! Let's listen to a short poem about Mary.
2. 读小诗,感悟字母组合th的读音/ð/。
T: Boys and girls, let's try to read the poem together. And pay attention to the sound of the words in red letters.
3. 聚焦单词,提炼字母组合th的读音/ð/。
笔者引导学生聚焦小诗中如下含有红色字母的单词:this、father、the、that、mother,并注意字母组合th在这些单词中的读音/ð/。
T: Now, boys and girls, try to read the words with red letters and find out the sound.
4. 回顾旧知,建构语音知识。
T: Can you say more words with the sound /ð/?
学生陆续说出了如下含有读音/ð/的单词:these、those、brother、they、their等。
5. 游戏活动,区分字母组合th的两种读音/θ/与/ð/。
由于学生在前面一个单元已经学习了字母组合th的另一个读音/θ/,在本单元的语音板块,在学生学习字母组合th的读音/ð/之后,笔者引导学生通过主题游戏活动区分字母组合th的两种不同发音。
T: Now, there are some presents for Mary. They are in a big box. Let's have a look.
笔者先通过PPT呈现一个大盒子,里面有很多含有字母组合th两种读音的单词卡片,之后让学生帮助主人公Mary根据不同的读音把单词卡片分别放在两个不同的小盒子里,从而帮助学生在Mary's Birthday的主题情景中区分字母组合th的两种不同读音。
在Mary's Birthday的主题情景的辅助下,原本比较枯燥乏味的语音教学变得鲜活起来,并拉开了本单元活动板块系列教学活动的序幕。
二、延伸主题情景,丰富文化板块的教学活动
任何一种语言必然隐含着与之相关的文化元素,具有悠久文化历史的英语更是如此,它所隐含的文化往往涉及人们日常生活的方方面面。Unit 8 Birthdays涉及了与中国文化有着截然不同文化内涵的西方生日文化元素。比如,在西方国家,人们在收到礼物的时候,通常会当着对方的面马上打开礼物;在看到礼物时会表现出内心的欢喜,并表达由衷的感谢等。基于这一文化元素,教材编者在本单元的文化板块中安排了如图2所示的内容。笔者在教学中从语音活动板块中的主题教学情景Mary's Birthday进一步延伸到Her Parents' Birthday的情景,从而开展本单元文化板块的教学活动,在帮助学生巩固本单元重点语言知识的同时,促进学生对相关文化知识的了解。
图2
教学片段如下:
T: Dear boys and girls,now you know something about Mary's birthday. But do you know anything about her parents' birthdays?
Ss: No.
T: So, let's ask Mary about her parents' birthdays.
Ss: When is your mum's birthday, Mary?
(教师用课件播放句子录音:It's on the second of July.)
Ss: When is your dad's birthday, Mary?
(教师用课件播放句子录音:It's on the thirteenth of August.)
T: Now please look at the picture. This is Mary's mum. It's her birthday today. She gets a present from Mary's dad. Is it nice?
Ss: Yes.
T: Does she look happy?
Ss: Yes.
T: Can you guess what she wants to do now?
S1: She wants to open the present.
T: Oh, yeah! You're right. In Western countries, people usually open a present as soon as they receive it.(呈现文化板块中的难句,并朗读。)
为了使这一部分的文化元素体现得更为充分,笔者根据这一主题情景进行了追问。教学片段如下:
T: Can you guess what she wants to say now?
S1: It looks nice. But what's the present,dear?
T: Anything else?
S2: Oh, it's nice. I like it very much.
S3: Thank you.
S4: It looks beautiful. But can I open it now?
T: Boys and girls, can she open it now?
Ss: Yes.
对Birthdays这一主题进行延伸使文化板块的教学活动自然融入到这一主题情景之中,不仅自然呈现了英语文化中关于生日的文化元素,也使文化板块的教学活动走向丰富。
三、拓展主题情景,深入开展阅读板块的教学活动
小学英语教材大都编排了一些富有童趣的卡通故事,旨在巩固本单元所学的语言知识和发展学生初步的英语阅读能力。有时,这些卡通故事在内容上与本单元的话题并无直接的关联,据此开展的阅读教学活动往往游离于其它活动板块之外。
笔者在教学中尝试对其它活动板块所创设的主题教学情景进行适当拓展,将卡通阅读教学活动纳入其它活动板块所创设的主题情景之中,从而使卡通阅读板块的教学活动因主题鲜明而更富有情趣。例如,Unit 8 Birthdays在Cartoon Time板块中呈现了卡通故事(见图3)。
图3
笔者在教学中将语音活动板块的主题教学情景Mary's Birthday适当拓展为生日活动情景,从而自然进入本单元卡通故事阅读板块的教学活动,在巩固本单元重点语言知识——序数词以及月份名称,并促使相关主题情景得到不断丰富的同时,促进学生英语阅读能力的逐步提高。教学过程如下:
1. 观动画,看故事,整体理解故事内容
一般而言,每个单元在Cartoon Time板块安排的卡通故事都比较有趣,浅显易懂,新的语言知识比较少。因此借助卡通故事插图,学生能从整体上理解故事内容。教学片段如下:
T: Today is Mary's birthday. She gets some presents from her parents and friends. Can you guess what she does?
S1: I think she has a birthday party.
S2: Perhaps she goes to the party.
S3: Perhaps she does shopping with her mum and dad.
T: Yes. And in the afternoon she goes to see a play with her mum and dad. Do you want to see the play?
Ss: Yes.
T: Let's watch the cartoon and try to find out who is in the story.
笔者引导学生通过Mary生日活动的情景走进卡通故事,并找出卡通故事中的人物Bobby、a pig、a cat。
2. 看插图,读故事,在上下文中理解词义
卡通故事中一些新的语言难点往往是学生深入理解故事细节的关键,但这样的语言难点并不多,因此对待作为泛读文本的卡通故事,无需像对待单元主要语篇文本那样细读慢解,而可以引导学生在自主阅读的过程中,根据故事插图和上下文理解相关的语言难点,从而理解文本的细节内容。教学片段如下(教学内容见图3):
T: Please look at Picture ①. Bobby is standing outside the house, and somebody iscalling“Help!”in the house.
T: Who is calling“Help!”in the house?
S1: A cat.
T: What does Bobby want to do?
S2: He wants to get into the house and help her.
T: Yes. You are right. Bobby wants to save the cat. But the door is closed. How can he get into the house? Please read the story and the pictures. Try to guess the meanings of the following words: hero, number, answer, fighting.
为了检测学生对上述新词的理解,在学生自主阅读卡通故事的基础上,笔者结合卡通故事中的五幅插图(见图3),分别设计了如下填空练习,让学生从上述方框中选择合适的词填空。
基于插图①设计填空题:Bobby is the __________ in the story. (hero)
基于插图②设计填空题:Bobby sees some _____________ on the door. (numbers)
基于插图③设计填空题:He is good at Maths. So he can get the _____.(answers)
基于插图④和插图⑤设计填空题:There is a pig in the house. They start _______. (fighting)
3. 设道具,演故事,在体验故事中发展语言能力
在学生理解故事的基础上,笔者适时引导学生根据故事大意开展表演活动,促使学生在深入体验故事的过程中,激发英语学习兴趣,发展语言运用能力。
为了让学生在表演活动中更投入,笔者设计了一些道具。比如,在这个卡通故事中,关键的道具是那一扇能使故事主人公Bobby获得密码的门。笔者根据卡通故事插图②中的门,设计了一个道具(见图4),并对表演的角色进行了分工。
图4
此环节的教学片段如下:
T: Do you like the story?
Ss: Yes.
T: That's good! Now let's act out the story. Here is the door of the house. And there are some numbers on the door. If you can get the answers to the problem, you can get the password. Then you can get into the house. Can you?
Ss: Yeah!
T: Now let's try to act out thestory in groups. One plays Bobby. One plays the cat. One plays the pig. And all of us play the narrators.
表演活动激发了学生的参与热情,而道具的使用使学生的表演更投入、更逼真。其中一组学生的表演如下:
S1: I'm Bobby.
S2: I'm the cat.
S3: I'm the pig.
S2: Help! Help!
S1: Dear cat! I'm coming. But the door is closed. How can I open it?
S2: There are some numbers on the door.
S1: Oh, I see. This is the password. But I'm not good at Maths. It's not easy for me. Can you help me?
Narrators: The first number is six. The second number is three. The third number is six. The fourth number is two.
S1: So the password is six, three, six and two. Right?
S2: Yes. Bobby. Come in and help me!
S1: Woo! A pig!
(Bobby和Pig作打架状。)
Narrators: They start fighting.
(Pig作逃跑状。)
Narrators: The pig runs away. A cat comes out from a room.
S2: Thank you very much, good Bobby!
S1: What a play!
之后,笔者通过与学生开展对话,点明故事主题,并总结课堂。
T: So who is the hero in the story?
Ss: Bobby is the hero.
T: On Mary's birthday, she gets some presents and goes to see a play. Is it wonderful?
Ss: Yes!
T: So on birthdays, we can do many things. Try to do some nice things on your birthdays.
主题情景将三个原本完全独立的活动板块整合在一起,形成了一组以Mary's Birthday为核心的系列教学活动,促使学生在了解Mary's Birthday的基础上,通过延伸与拓展将有关生日文化和生日活动的知识纳入活动板块的系列活动之中,从而使语音学习、文化拓展和英语趣味阅读教学活动实现了实质上的整合,在发展学生英语语言能力的同时也提升了学生的英语文化素养。
本文作者声明:未经本人及北京师范大学中小学外语教学编辑部书面同意,任何媒体不得转载或摘编本文。
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参考文献
译林出版社. 2014. 义务教育教科书·英语(三年级起点)五年级下册[T]. 南京:译林出版社.
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附作者信息:钱希洁 江苏省无锡市锡山教师进修学校